Letter-box bell



(No Model.) I

J.VK. Ross.

Y- L'BTTBRBOX BELL. y

No. 269,961., l Patented JaI1.2,'1883-.`

l. ZC v J.K.Royss,

ff" LETTERS mu m' N. PETERS. Phamumngmpmr. wamingmn, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT QEEICE.

JAMES K. ROSS, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

LETTER-Box BELL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 269,961, dated. January 2, 1853.

Application tiled March 20, 1882.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES ICROSS, of the i city of Springtield,in Clarke county, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful lm provemen ts in Door-Bells, Letter-Ports, &c., of which the follow-ing is a specification.

My `invention has for its objectth'e providence of means, all located com pactly together and on the same side of the door or partition,

whereby the same action that rings thedoorhell shall uncover a port or chute, through which'letters may be dropped into any desired receptacle, and whereby the said port or chute shall, when all strain upon the bell pull is removed, be automatically recovered.

My invention has for-its further object the connection with or application to the combined device aforementioned of a suitable door-plate, as hereinafter described.

My invention, when embodied in suitable material, whether with or without the doorf plate, constitutes a new, elegant, cheap, and servlceable article of manufacture1 which can be kept and .sold as an entirety, and can be applied and put in use by any one, no matter how unskilled in mechanics he may be.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a 1 part of this specitieation, and to which -draw ings reference is `hereby made, Figure l represents a front elevation of a device illustrating my lnvention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of thedevice shown in Fig. l, and taken at the dotted lilie X X, and looking toward that side of the device which is on the left hand in Fig. 1.` Fig. 3 is an elevation ot' a portion of my device,- looking at it from the rear. ,Figl et is a detached sectional elevation of one portion of my device. That form of er edge of the latter.

bolts or screws or rivets, preferably as shown by the bolts a, whose -ends pass through and beyond the door or partition, and upon each ot' which ends a nut isrespectively screwed.

This frame-Work may be and is preferably of an ornamental design, and the details oflength, width, and shape may be varied to suit the design of the door or partition or building to which the whole device is applied, or the taste ofthe person interested in its manufacture, sale, or application. Thus, for example, the lower ilutings, b and d, ofthe plate IB, and the corresponding bottom parts of the side pieces,

C, may be dispensed with.

. Iuthe frame-work is the open space D, and this space is, when the device is not operated on to ring the doorbell-or to use the letterboX,-covered by a suitable plate, as E. ln the present instance the plate is arched, as shown.

Preferably located inside ofthe framework are the levers or oscillating supports H, one

of which is at or near one side of the framework and the other at or near the other side ofthe frame-work. Each lever His preferably connected to its adjacentside piece C, and in the following manner: The inner surface oi' the side piece C is provided with a ring, e,

`(see Fig. 4,) projecting from said surface, and

transversely slotted through at h, forming achamber, g, and is further providedvwith a hub or boss,f, of much smaller diameter than the inside diameter of said ring, the said boss being locatedwithin and concentric with the ring. The other `side piece C is provided with a similar ring e and bossf, and located in a similar manner on said second sidepiece.

The lever H is provided with a ring, l, into which the boss fof piece O enters and forms thejournal-bearing upon which thelever turns.

A rivet or bolt through the center ofthe boss and ring l and the lever H preventsthe latter from leaving its position on the side piece and the ring from slipping o' the hub or bossf.

The lever H has a chamberLg, whose annular edge It lits closely against tli ring e. Around the bossfand within the chamber g a circular spring,j, is placed, one end of which 'is fastened in the slot h, and the other end is passed through a slot in the edge ot' ring l, and made fast thereto. The spring is so strained that it tends to keep the upper end ot' the lever against or near the rearpart of the box, and near the door or partition. The top ot' this lever is preferably provided with a carrying- Vllange, m, towhich latter the plate or cover E is secured. Thislever has an arm,I,employed to operate the mechanism for ringing the bell. In the present instance a lever, K, having two arms, p r,'is pivoted at the junction of its two arms to a support, n, iixed to the frame-work A, preferably as shown. A stiff piece, L,con nects the free end ot' arm I and the free end of arm p, being hooked or pivoted to the arm I and sliding' in the arm p. A head, q, on the free end of the piece L prevents the latter from sliding out ofthe armp. A spiral spring, M, arranged. around the piece L, and compressed between the end of arm I and arm p,

tends to keep the arm p in closejnxtaposition withhead q. The free end ot' the arm r carries a stiff coiled spring, S, which latter carries the hammer T, arranged to strike against the bell or gong U,'the latter being attached to the frame-work, preferably as shown.

The cover E is provided with some suitable projection or handle, as W, and also with a chute-board, as Y.

The mode in which inyinvention operates is as follows: When itis desired to ring the doorbell the operator takes hold of the handle W and draws back the cover E, thus moving the levers H and overcoming the resistanceof the springsj. As the levers H are moved vthe lever I is moved, and spring m is compressed and actuates arm p, which, moving arm i", throws hammer T against the bell and rings the latter. When the cover has been fully drawn back the letter-chute is exposed, and opportunity is afforded to drop any papers, letters, or other communications' through the letter-port, the letters, &c., sliding through the letter-port on the chute-board. When the operator relinquishes his hold upon the handle W the springs j, being free to act, force the levers back to their first position, thereby closing the `letter-port,and at the same time, through the agency of the arms I and o and spring and y hammer, again ringingthe bell.

When preferred the bell and a part of all of its immediate adjuncts may be placed elsewhere than within the frame-work, in which event the bell-wire Will be operated through the agency of the lever H, and preferably by means of its arm I.

The space on the frame-work, or on thezdoor or partition immediately above the cover E, may be employed as a door-plate. When the latter space is employed the door-plate usually consists ot' a frame, as Z, preferably an extension ofthe frame-work A, and formed with or united to the latter. This frame Z maylcontain a regular brass plate, on which the name ofthe owner is to be cut or otherwise inscribed; but for the purposes of the general sale of the device I prefer to leave a space in the frame, in which a card or other substance bearing a .suitable name or inscription may be placed, the whole being covered with glass.

One principal feature of my invention consists in the trame-work carrying the letterchute cover containing the mechanism for automatically returning the cover over the letter-chute and ringing the bell, being Within the said frame-work or com pactly connected to and forming an integral and constituent part of same.

Those features which relate to the springs for actuating the levers, and the precise location of the same, and the mechanism for ringing the gong, may be varied at will without altering the principal features of my invention. The handle of the cover E may be lettered 4With the word Bell,7 and where the name or number of a person or residence is not desired upon the middle face, t, ot' the frame-work the word Letters may be placed thereon. The side pieces preferably carry near their bottom hooks or slotted studs N, to the better enable the pieces and frame-work to be bolted or rivetedv to the door or other partition.

The cover E may, if desired, be placed at a lower point in the framework, and the parts within altered to conform with this change of location.

p What I claim as new and of my invention, and desire to-secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As a new article of manufacture, the frame-work or box A, in combination with the -cover E, and mechanism for automatically causing the cover to close the letter-port, and for causing the movement-ot' the cover E to ring thev bell,'all of said mechanism being contained within said box, the latter, together with its contents and the cover IG, being located on one side of the door or partition, substantially as and for the purposes specitied.

2. Theframe-work A,andcoverE, and chute.- board Y, and the levers H, actuated by mechanism for causing them to return cover E over the port-chute and to ring the bell, substantially as and for the purposes specilied.

-3. The combination of cover E, side pieces, C', provided with boss j', and chamber g, and

sloth, and the lever H, provided with hub-ring l, and ring c, and slot h2, and springj, located within said chamber, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. The combination of cover E, frame-work A, levers H, and ,a suitable spring for retracting the levers, and the stud n, arms 11 r, con necting-piece L, spring M, and hammer and bell, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. The frame A and cover E, constituting a box for containing the door-bell, and mechanism for causing it to be rung when the cover isopened, said box being provided with a doorplate extension, Z, all located on one side of the door, substantially as and for the purposes speciied.

6. The combination of the'cover E, provided with handle W and board Y, and frame-Work A, and mechanism for automaiicallyretracting the cover and for ringing the bell, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

Y JAMEb` K. ROSS.

Attest:

0. P. OAYLoR,

E. R. HILL.

Sov

ICO

IIS 

